Forced Reunion
by Nikki-and-April
Summary: Roxas is just minding his own business when Axel forces himself back into his life.   A story of angst, abuse, anger... the forced reunion between Axel and Roxas.   Written by Nikki, April, and Ashley
1. Chapter 1

Roxas was taking the back way home again. Today had been one shitty day, and he just wanted to get home as soon as possible. After everything that's happened to him lately, the last thing he wanted to do was be out any longer than he needed to. He shuffled his feet on the damp ground, trying not to think of the recent happenings; of those people in black following him.

He shook his head of those thoughts, and concentrated on where he was going, making sure he didn't walk down the wrong alleyway, like he had done on many occasions. The perpetual twilight glow bathing the roads was making Roxas' path harder to see. He chuckled wryly to himself; getting lost in an alleyway would definitely complete his day.

He felt a small amount of relief when he turned a corner, knowing he was almost back. Unfortunately, that relief was short lived when something stopped him. He felt a tall, gangly figure slam against his own, knocking him back. He stumbled, but regained his balance to see who his assailant was.

"Hey, Roxas! Sorry, man, I didn't see you." the man said. He was an unusual looking guy; with long, gravity-defying red, spiky hair and striking emerald-green eyes. Despite his apology, the expression on the man's face was far from contrite; his eyes were practically glowing with mirth, and a smirk was pulling at his lips.

Roxas was caught off guard by his response. How did he know his name? He was sure he'd remember if he had met a man as…. interesting looking as this one. Shaking his head, he turned and tried to walk passed the man, not giving any sort of response. Before he could fully pass, however, a hand dropped onto his shoulder, stopping his movement.

"Roxas! I've been looking all over for you!" Roxas tensed at the touch and brushed the redhead's hand off his shoulder as he muttered "Try not to bump into me again, okay?" He was not in the mood to deal with this guy right now, especially since he apparently knew Roxas' name.

"Hey, it's no big deal! I just wasn't watching where I was walkin'." The man said pleasantly. His carefree demeanor was incredibly irritating.

Turning his head towards him, Roxas replied, "Well maybe you should…" It was then that he noticed what the redhead was wearing.

"Y…you're-," he was cut off by the man's laughter.

"Hey, now, don't get so upset over a little bump!" The man said casually, with small grin. The man had the same black cloak as the other people Roxas kept running into the past few days.

"You're one of those guys!" Roxas yelled. "Stop following me around, damn it!" His temper was rising quickly and he summoned his Keyblade, pointing it threateningly at the weird man. He had had enough of these guys bullying him.

The strange redhead didn't seem to care about the fact that a sword, of sorts, was now pointed at him. In fact, the grin on the man's face had only widened, and his emerald eyes were twinkling with amusement, of all things. "Hah. You love the way I follow you around, Roxy, baby." He obviously didn't see Roxas as a threat, even with the blade in his hands.

Roxas tightened his grip on the handle, irritated by the ridiculous comment. "'Love it'...? I don't even know who you are! Why do you people keep following me? Just leave me alone, already!"

The stranger looked disappointed at the response, his grin fading to a small, disappointed frown. "You do too know me, Roxas. C'mon! Try to remember me!"

Roxas paused. "Know you?" He lowered his Keyblade slightly and stared up at the tall man with a confused expression. "I've never seen you before…I don't even know your name."

The man's attitude immediately changed from disappointed to angry. "AXEL. My. Name. Is. AXEL. Got it memorized?" He asked, irritated.

Roxas was surprised at the sudden change in the man's demeanor. He went from carefree and relaxed to tense and annoyed... all over his name. "Um, okay. Axel… But that doesn't change the fact that I don't know you. Now, would you people just leave me alone?"

Hoping that would end the conversation, he turned around to leave. Before he could take a step, however, a huge wall of flames appeared in front of him. "Whoa!" Roxas leaped back, almost stumbling to the ground. "What…what the hell?" He yelled, staring wide-eyed at the fire that appeared out of nowhere. He turned back to Axel, who now had a feral grin on his face.

"Geez! What…how? How did you do that?" He asked, fear, confusion and awe coloring his voice. Despite the fact that he just asked, Roxas had a feeling that Axel wouldn't tell him anything. His suspicion was confirmed when Axel's feral grin morphed to a sly smirk, and no answer came.

Instead of trying to understand the situation, Roxas held his Keyblade defensively. This guy was obviously dangerous, and it was clear he didn't intend to allow Roxas to just walk away.

Axel put his hands up defensively, the smirk still in place. "Hey, now! Calm down, Roxy, there's no need for violence. I just wanna talk, okay?"

Roxas stared. "R-Roxy?"

Axel looked away and scratched his head. "Well, yeah. It's what I call you, remember?"

"No, I don't!" He let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I don't know what you and your other friends in black want with me, but I'm getting a bit tired of all the rough housing...so just say what you want to say and leave me alone."

"Hey! Stop overreacting kid, okay? You spaz over nothing sometimes, geez." Axel responded casually, completely disregarding Roxas' request.

"I'm not 'spazzing!'" Roxas snapped. "And I'm not a kid…"

"Hah. If you say so, Roxy. Still a bit on the short side, then, huh?" He giggled.

Roxas glared at him.

"Hey, c'mon. Just a joke." Axel sighed and ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Aw, kid, don't go emo, again. I told you, you overreact over nothing."

That little comment pushed Roxas over the edge. "Who are you to talk to me like you know me! You don't know anything about me!" The next thing he knew, he was running towards Axel, Keyblade in hand, ready to attack.

Axel's smirk didn't fade as he unconcernedly summoned his chakrams, the Eternal Flames, shaking his head and sighing. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen.

Roxas swung his Keyblade at Axel who blocked it effortlessly and pushed the blond back several feet.

"You call that an attack?" Axel asked mockingly, his voice light with laughter. The blond's sad attempts to fight him were rather entertaining to the Nobody.

Roxas flew back, almost falling over, but caught himself and charged forward, again, for another attack. But, again, his attack was blocked by Axel with minimal effort, who then slung one of his chakrams at Roxas, connecting with his chest pushing him several feet away. Roxas cringed, but the attack did little damage other than creating distance in between him and Axel. The redhead laughed and chucked a fireball at Roxas' feet, missing on purpose.

"Shit!" Roxas jumped at the fireball, but realized its teasing intention. He shot Axel a hateful glare in response. Despite this guy's casual attitude, he was strong…

Once again, Roxas leaped forward with fury, swinging the Keyblade at Axel, this time finally landing a blow, but one that wasn't very powerful. Wincing slightly at the attack, Axel quickly slung both chakrams at Roxas, powerfully this time, knocking Roxas back, and sending him tumbling over the cobbled ground

"Careful, Roxy. Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, would we?" He still held his playful smirk, but his voice had turned slightly acidic.

Roxas glared up at Axel from the ground, wincing from the blow. "You….asshole!" He struggled to his feet, positioning himself for another attack.

Before he could, however, Axel held out both arms and a ring of flames burst out of the ground, surrounding them. The blond jumped at the sudden burst of fire, almost falling to the ground again. The heat of the fire singed his back, forcing him to take a step toward Axel.

"Ready to talk, now, Roxy? Or do we need to continue this little...'fight?'" He asked, a fiery-red eyebrow raised in question.

Roxas paused and glared at him, hesitant to attack after what he had just seen. Just how much power did this guy have?

The redhead smiled. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'" His chakrams vanished in a puff of fire as he crossed his arms. "What do you remember, Roxas? Anything?"

"I already told you I don't!" the blond hollered back. Turning around, he swatted at the flames behind him frustratedly. "Damn it! Let me out!"

Axel frowned and put his hands on his hips. "Tsk tsk, Roxy. I'm just trying to have a friendly little chat between old pals. You are my best friend, remember? Eating Sea-Salt Ice Cream at the top of the clock tower?" Some of the power in his voice was lost while asking this, so that, towards the end of his question, his voice sounded almost…desperate.

Roxas turned back to the redhead slowly, confusion replacing some of his anger. "My…my best friend? But...but I've never even met you before." his tone softened slightly in response to Axel's.

"Yes, you have! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Axel retorted, his tone turning hopeful. "I know you better than anyone."

Roxas stared at him with a bewildered expression. He couldn't comprehend the idea. How in the world could this pyromaniac be his 'best friend?' He was sure he'd never seen him before; Axel didn't seem like the type of person you could easily forget. And why was he wearing the same thing as those other people that were following Roxas? They can't all just want to be friends with him.

"But how?" he asked, his voice strained, "How can we be 'best friends' if I've never even met you? The only time I've ever seen you people in black is when you're attacking me."

"We're just trying to get you to come back!" Axel explained. He cocked his head at Roxas, his spikes swaying softly at the motion, and paused, staring at the blond with a confused expression on his tattooed face. "Don't...don't you remember the Organization at all?"

Roxas looked back up at the strange man, meeting his intense stare. The expectance was clearly visible in his emerald eyes. "…Organization?" was the only response he could make.

Axel shifted his weight, crossing his arms again. "We're called Organization XIII. And you're Number XIII. Got it memorized?" He asked, pointing to his head.

"You're saying... I'm part of your organization? Why the hell would I be in a group like yours?" He shook his head at the idea. "All I've seen you people do is terrorize people; mostly me. It doesn't sound like something I want to be a part of." Roxas looked away to avoid the redhead's glare.

Instead of an angry response like Roxas had expected, Axel's eyes seemed to lighten. "Are you kidding, Roxy? You and I used to go on missions together all the time! We had a lot of fun!" He smiled, letting the flames die down a little.

Watching the flames warily, Roxas responded, "…Fun?"

"Yeah! We went to Agrabah, Wonderland, The Pride Lands...don't you remember running around as a lion? That was awesome, man!"

Okay, this guy was definitely insane. Roxas tore his eyes away from the surrounding fire to stare at Axel bewildered, but his glare was softened by Axel's child-like excitement.

"Okay…" Roxas shifted uncomfortably. "Will you let me go now?" His gaze went back to the surrounding fire.

A confused look replaced the excited one on Axel's face. "Really, man? I just told you we're best friends...and you still want to leave?" The idea seemed unfathomable to him.

"No…I believe you. I just…um, have places to be…" He responded awkwardly, still eyeing the flames.

Axel scratched his head. "Well I was…kinda hoping we could talk some more. You know, maybe get some ice cream?"

The sudden friendliness caught Roxas completely off guard. His eyes returned to Axel's, whose own emerald orbs were full of hope. He stared at him for a few seconds before trying to manage a response. "I...um...that's...I kinda have to meet my friends..." was the only thing he could manage. He shifted again.

"But…I'm your friend…" His face darkened, all hopefulness leaving it at once. Looking down, he lowered the flames completely. "I get it, Roxas. You just don't want to talk to me."

Roxas watched with relief as the flames went all the way down. "It's... it's not that!" He replied cautiously, yet sympathetically. "I'm just…kinda confused by all this." He took a few steps back.

"So, let me explain! We can get some ice cream and head to the clock tower. Just like old times, huh?" Axel asked, some light returning to his eyes.

"Old times…" Roxas looked down, trying to make sense of all this. "If you really are my friend, why don't I remember you? Why don't I remember anything! This...none of this makes any sense!" He grabbed his head, frustrated, taking another step back. Why the hell was all this happening to him?

"Now, Roxas, calm down. I just want to talk, okay?" He tried stepping closer to Roxas.

"Stop telling me to calm down!" The blond yelled. "You can't just come up to me and tell me all this! Like – I'm just supposed to accept it?" He was at his breaking point. "Just leave me alone!"

Axel sighed sadly. "Looks like we are going to have to do this the hard way." Raising his arms, the wall of fire returned in a burst of light, heat and sound, surrounding them completely. The fire was much larger than last time, and the heat was overwhelming. His chakrams returned in his hands in a blast of fire, his expression turning into an annoyed one.

Roxas jumped harshly at the erupting flames around him, covering his face with his arms against the burst of heat hitting his face. His anger and turmoil quickly turned to fear as his eyes met Axel's glare.

Axel could clearly see the fear on Roxas' face, and he took another step forward. "I told you I just want to talk. Don't make this difficult." He reminded Roxas, softly.

"You're the one making fire explode out of nowhere!" Roxas yelled back at him, but the fear in his voice was unmistakable. Unfortunately, that only seemed to make Axel bolder. Wide-eyed, he watched as Axel took another step closer to him. Roxas held up his Keyblade defensively once more, his hands shaking in their grip. He backed away as far away as he could until his back was felt like it was being set aflame by the wall of fire behind him.

"Ah!" He yelped, cringing at the pain. "Just…just stay away from me, Axel!" Panic was setting in as he saw Axel continue to come closer.

"See? Went and hurt yourself, didn't you? Come here and let me see how bad it is." Axel was right in front of him, now, and reached out his hand toward the blond.

"No! Get away from me!" He screamed at the taller man towering over him. He squeezed his eyes shut and swung his Keyblade violently in front of him, inadvertently hitting Axel hard across the face. The redhead grunted in pain, grabbing his cheek where he was hit.

Before Roxas could register what happened, a huge fireball was slammed into his chest, sending him flying against the fire wall behind him and crumpling onto the ground. The pain in his chest was disorienting, and he could feel burns on his chest and back stinging him. Gasping for breath, he tried to pull himself off the ground, but only managed to lift his head slightly. His vision was blurred and his head was spinning, but he could hear Axel a few feet away from him cursing.

"Okay, Roxas, you pushed me too far, this time!" His face throbbed from where he was hit, and his temper was at its breaking point. Staring down at his friend, he spun his chakrams in his hands, ready to attack again, when something caused him to pause.

"Uhm. Axel, what's going on?" Came an uninterested voice from outside the ring of fire. Axel paused, and turned to see where the voice originated.

From outside the fire he saw a short blue-grey haired teenager, holding a very large book in his hand. His face had little to no emotion shown on it, and he seemed rather uninterested in the situation. Axel barely glanced at him before turning his attention back on Roxas, crumpled on the ground before him. Roxas sat up further, coughing and gasping for breath, his vision returning to normal.

"Hey, Zexion. Just trying to talk to my buddy Roxas, here. Wanna join?" He asked calmly, opening a portion of the fire wall in front of the teen. "Okay, Roxy, ready to calm down, now?" Axel spun his chakrams in his hands, spinning them so the fire ignited around them, and with a grin, slung them at Roxas.

The blond barely had time to react. Wobbly, he forced himself off the ground and jumped off to the side, barely managing to avoid getting hit. Unable to land, however, he tumbled back onto the ground, falling hard on his side.

Zexion, still on the other side of the opened flames, examined the situation and sighed. "What are you talking about?" He asked while stepping inside the circle of fire. As he did this, the flames closed behind him. Despite the sadistic scene in front of him, hius face remained blank – probably used to this sort of thing from Axel.

"Trying to tell Roxas here that we're friends and he's part of the Organization." The redhead explained as he caught the chakrams when they returned to him. "Need a hand there, Roxy?" He asked, walking over.

Roxas looked up and saw Axel all too close again, and reacted. "Get...get the fuck away from me!" He yelped, jumping back away from him and falling onto his back. He winced at the pain of his burns contacting with the rough alley ground. Axel simply chuckled at the pitiful reaction. "Tsk tsk, Roxy. Such language from a kid like you."

"You're convincing him…by attacking him?" The emo teen asked from the edge of the circle.

"What can I say, Zexion, the kid pushed me a little too far." He answered, keeping his eyes on Roxas. He watched with an amused look on his face as the blond struggled to push himself back up onto his side.

"Stop calling…me a kid!" Roxas spat at him, forcing himself off the ground and launching at the redhead. He swung his Keyblade at Axel, who lazily blocked the attack, and returned the blow with his chakrams, slashing his back, leaving large gashes on his already burned skin. Before Roxas had a chance to react, another chakram slammed against his front, forcing him to fly back.

"It looks like you're doing a terrible job of convincing him to return with us." Zexion observed blandly. "Perhaps you weren't as good of friends as you believed?"

"Hah! Are you kidding me, Zex? The kid loves me!" Axel laughed as Roxas fell to the ground. This was all too entertaining for him.

The blond tumbled onto the rough alley ground, but managed to catch himself before crashing down on his back again, and landed on one knee. Gritting his teeth, he cringed against the pain now flooding him, trying desperately not to give Axel the satisfaction of seeing his discomfort.

"Are you sure about that, Axel?" The emo teen asked, unconvinced, watching the blond child glare hatefully at Axel.

"Ha! Who wouldn't love a guy like me?" Axel said, spinning his chakram in his hand playfully. His crystal green eyes stayed on Roxas, seeing every bit of pain the child tried to conceal, only enticing him more. "Come on, Roxy, you can do waaay better than this!" His response was a hate filled glare out of the blond.

"…I don't love you." Zexion murmured, turning his attention to his large book. With a sigh, he opened it and began casually flipping through its pages.

It was then that Roxas tore his eyes away from the redhead over to the teen at the edge of the circle. Although he wasn't particularly menacing looking, he was wearing the same black cloak as Axel. Obviously not someone that came to help Roxas out. "This guy…part of your 'organization?'" He managed.

"Hey, kid! That's Zexion." He said, pointing a thumb in the teen's direction. "He's a buddy of mine, too." With another smirk, he flicked another fireball at Roxas. "Wanna get back to our little talk?"

Dragging himself off of his knee, Roxas jumped to the side, barely dodging the blow. "You have already told me enough! I don't want anything to do with you, or your 'organization!'" He yelled harshly, positioning his Keyblade in front of himself defensively.

"Roxy, baby, come on." Axel sneered, holding his chakrams in position for another attack. "Either talk to me…or we fight."

"Then I guess we fight." Roxas said boldly, his determination to fight building back up. He couldn't let this psychopath beat him.

This newfound boldness didn't go unnoticed by Axel. He grinned evilly at Roxas, enticed by the challenge. "Bring it on, kid!" He hollered, raising his chakrams and spinning them in his hands, making the fire grow hotter and brighter.

Axel then lunged forward, slashing his chakrams at Roxas ruthlessly. Unable to react in time, his shoulder was slashed into by Axel's chakram, creating a deep gash and burning the skin. Roxas, wincing, rebounded from the blow and attacked back, managing a hard blow, bashing into his chest and sending him back several feet.

Zexion pulled his eyes away from his book to observe the fight in front of him. "Can you hurry this up, Axel? I was sent to retrieve you."

"Retrieve me?" The redhead asked, grabbing chest, panting. "Ha. You just came because you missed me." He grinned, still eyes locked on Roxas. The blond glared at him in return, holding his injured shoulder which had blood sinking into his sleeve and onto his hand.

"That's not it, Axel. I was ordered to bring you back – with or without Roxas." Zexion explained emotionlessly.

Roxas lunged forward again, attacking Axel furiously and landing a hard blow on the redhead's chest. Instead of being thrown back, however, Axel grabbed the end of the Keyblade and yanked it toward him, pulling Roxas along with it. Before Roxas had a chance to pull away, he felt his collar grabbed and pulled forward, forcing him to be face to face with the taller man. Axel smiled sadistically.

"You seriously thought you could beat me Roxas?" He asked darkly, pulling the younger boy closer. "As if."

Roxas, staring him wide-eyed, clawed at Axels arm restraining him with one hand, and swung his Keyblade with the other. "Ah!" He screamed, desperately struggling to be free. "LET ME GO!"He could feel panic filling him as Axel's iron grip wouldn't loosen.

"Axel…" Zexion said, irritated. This little fight was getting out of hand.

"Well, you seem awfully excited to see me fight Roxas to just be 'retrieving me,' Zexion." Axel said, responding to Zexion's earlier comment. With his free hand, he grabbed the end of Roxas' Keyblade and ripped it out of his hand, throwing it several feet away from them.

Zexion sighed. "Whatever you say, Axel. Just hurry up. Demyx will start wondering where I am soon." The teen looked back down at the contents of his book.

Roxas, now using both hands to claw at Axel's arm, glared hatefully up at the redhead who was only a few inches away. Axel could clearly see the fear in Roxas' eyes, and that only made him all the more powerful. The boy was weaker than him, and they both knew it. Lifting his free hand, he summoned a huge fireball and held it close to the blond. The heat from the fire singed Roxas' face, and he winced.

"Demyx can live without his little Zexy-kins for a while longer." He said, choking Roxas up slightly before throwing him to the ground. "What's better than seeing me in action?"

Roxas, cringing at the fall, looked up wide-eyed to see the redhead towering over him with the huge ball of fire. "AXEL!" He screamed desperately, covering his face with his arms. "Stop!" Squeezing his eyes shut in fear, he tensed, anticipating the blow of the fireball. Did this guy really plan on killing him?

"Zexy-kins?" Zexion asked, raining an eyebrow.

"Zex, can I fight in peace, please?" Axel asked, turning his head to glare at the teen. His response was a blank stare from Zexion.

Roxas, still on the ground, tore his eyes away from redhead for a moment to look over to his fallen Keyblade several feet away. Quickly, he took advantage of Axel's momentary distraction and summoned his Keyblade into his hand. Once he had his weapon, he swiftly jumped out from underneath the older man, jumping a few feet away and creating the much desired distance between them.

"Hey, Roxas," Axes said, turning back around to see the newly armed blond now on the other end of the circle of fire. Dissipating the fireball in his hands, he summoned his chakrams again. "Did I say you could get up?"

"Just shut up!" Roxas yelled at him, charging at him again. Axel mirrored the attack, slinging his flaming weapons at him viciously. They attacked in a flurry of quick and vicious movements, each landing several minor blows on each other. After a moment, Axel was sent flying by a powerful blow to the side. He crashed onto his back, getting the wind knocked out of him and dropping his chakrams.

Roxas watched as the redhead toppled to the ground, and dropped to one knee in exhaustion. This battle needed to end soon; he couldn't keep this up for much longer…

Zexion sighed once again. "Do you need help, Axel?" As he said this, the redhead pulled himself up off the ground with difficulty, grabbing his side where he was hit, wincing. Turning his eyes up to glare at Roxas, he smirked.

"Me? Help fighting a kid?" He scoffed, straightening up slightly. "No thanks, Zex. You just want to get back to Demyx." His green eyes turned deadly as they eyed the blond.

Roxas was shocked at how fast he was able to recover from the blow. This was bad… He had attacked this guy with everything he had, and he still recovered so quickly. And worse, he only seemed to piss him off even more.

"That's not it, Axel. I'm here on orders. We don't have an unlimited amount of time to do this. So either hurry up, or I'll make you hurry up." Zexion said bluntly, his voice not betraying the irritation the words suggested, though the threat was clear.

Axel, straightening up all the way, simply grinned. "Since when…have I ever cared about ORDERS?" He yelled, raising his arms and summoning his chakrams in an explosion of fire bigger any other before. As he did this, the fire in the circle around them erupted, growing even larger and hotter. Gripping onto his chakrams, he lunged forward, launching a flurry of ruthless attacks at the blond.

Roxas barely had a chance to react to the onslaught, desperately trying to block against each

relentless attack on him. With each attack from Axel, he was pushed further and further back toward the wall of fire behind him. He could feel the heat from the fire beginning to singe the already damaged skin on his back with every blow. It took everything he had to stop himself from being pushed into the fire behind him.

"Roxas…you've gotten weak." Zexion commented, sounding rather disappointed. "Axel…If you need help-"

"FINE!" Axel yelled, crashing another blow at Roxas before he was almost completely against the fire. "Help if you want, just shut up!"

The redhead stood all too close to Roxas again, cornering him against the wall of fire. Roxas, holding out his Keyblade defensively in front of him, trying to keep the distance between them. His back was burning from the heat of the fire, but he didn't dare take a step closer to the crazed redhead directly in front of him. Panting from the recent onslaught of attacks on him, he desperately tried to think of a way to escape. He could feel panic overwhelming him, his bruised arms shaking from a mix of fear and fatigue.

Noticing the fear in the Roxas' eyes, Axel spun his chakrams again in his hands, his green eyes deadly. "You should have just agreed to the ice cream, Roxy." Axel said with a morbid grin.

Before Roxas had a chance to react, a sudden blast of light and pain attacked him all at once. Screaming, he squeezed his eyes and covered his head in an attempt to block the sudden blast of pain. Blinding light surrounded him; the stabbing pain attacked him from all angles. He could feel his body weaken with every passing second, his legs beginning to collapse underneath him. All he could do was scream, and hope it would end…

Zexion, finally ending the spell, lowered his raised arm that was outstretched toward Roxas. He watched as the light that was surrounding the blond disappeared, and closed his book with a sigh.

Roxas collapsed onto the ground, slamming his head hard into the alley pavement. The fire spell lasted for only a few seconds, but it was enough to end the battle before Axel really did kill the boy.

Roxas, crumpled on the ground, coughed violently in a desperate attempt to breathe. His body was numb from the attack, and blood was dripping down from his head where he collided with the pavement. He couldn't comprehend what just happened, or what just caused him such horrible damage, but he could feel his head spinning ferociously and his body wasn't cooperating with him. He tried to lift himself, but all his limbs felt abnormally heavy.

With blurred vision, he looked over next to him where his Keyblade had fallen; only about a foot away from him. Without thinking, he tried and reached out his shaky arm for it. But his arm only moved slightly for it when the blade was kicked away from him, being replaced by two black boots a second later. With another violent cough, he looked up to see the redhead standing over him.

"Now, Roxy, is there anything you wanna say to your best friend?" Axel asked sadistically. Roxas coughed again, blood exiting his mouth. He struggled desperately to get away from the redhead standing next to him, but his body wouldn't let him do more than lift his head.

"Get…get away…from-" Roxas choked, before falling into another violent coughing fit. He could taste the metallic blood filling his mouth with each wheeze.

"No, Roxas. I'm afraid that's the wrong answer." With his chakram, he knelt down next to Roxas and smashed his weapon into the back of the blonde's head with severe force, causing it to collide with the pavement once again. He watched as Roxas stopped moving, crumpled on the ground, new blood seeping out onto the pavement around his head. The boy moaned pitifully and tried to move, but he was extremely disoriented from the impact, and his head spun violently. Numbness took over his body, and his head felt lighter than usual.

"You're coming with us to The Castle That Never Was..." Axel said while banishing his chakrams in a puff of fire. He then bent down and flipped Roxas onto his back before slipping his arms under his knees and neck. The blond moaned and cringed as the redhead lifted him up and held him against his chest. "…back to the Organization." As he said this, the ring of fire surrounding them all dissipated.

"You ready?" Zexion asked, opening a darkness portal a few feet away from them. Axel turned and nodded his head at the shorter man, before walking toward the portal.

"Uhhhn…." Roxas struggled with the little strength he had left. "Let…let go…f…me..." He slurred, unable to fight back in any way. The spinning of his head grew in intensity until the world around him became unrecognizable, fading into darkness. With his last bit of strength, he tried desperately to struggle against the redhead holding him, until everything around him slipped into blackness.

Zexion stood next to the portal in front of him, waiting for Axel to walk through with the unconscious boy before entering through himself.

Walking out of the other end of the portal, Axel looked down at the battered blond in his arms and sighed sadly. Stepping over to one of the large couches in the room they had just entered, Axel gently placed him down on the cushions, the blood dripping down from his back staining the white surface.

"Poor kid…" The redhead said, all previous traces of anger and contempt gone from his voice. His face held a grimace instead of the sadistic smile it once had.

"He doesn't remember us, right?" Zexion asked, walking up from behind him. "Or anything about the Organization?" He stood directly in front of Roxas on the couch and opened his book again, flipping though its pages searching for a particular spell.

"Yeah...poor kid doesn't remember a thing." Axel replied, scratching his head. He could see the blood sinking down the cushions of the couch, dripping onto the floor. Roxas' head was bleeding heavily, and he had burns all over his body.

Zexion, finding the page he was looking for, lifted his free arm toward Roxas, and a soft, green light surrounded the battered boy's body. Immediately, the open gashes all over the blond's body began to close and heal, the burns slowly disappearing. "Do you know why?" He asked, concentrating on the spell.

"Nope." Axel responded, shaking his head. "I just tried to talk to him and the kid spazzed. You'd think I was trying to kill him or something." Axel crossed his arms, eyes remaining on the unconscious blond.

"…You were." The teen commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...uh..." Axel scratched his head again and laughed awkwardly. "He knows how to push the wrong buttons, ya know? He just went too far and I snapped…" His voice died away at the end.

Rolling his eyes at the comment, Zexion ended the cure spell and stepped away from Roxas. "You need to learn to control your temper." He said scornfully. "I've healed most of his wounds. The reason he's still asleep is fatigue. He should wake up in a few hours."

"Thanks, Zex." Axel said, walking in front of Roxas and kneeling down. The wounds he had were indeed mostly healed. "Hey, kid, I still need to talk to you…" He said half heartedly, reaching out an arm to ruffle his hair. He stopped however, when he saw the blood still on his black gloves and on his arms. Pulling his arm back, he paused, and stared at his bloody hand with a sad look. The blood belonged to Roxas, and he took in the fact that he was the one to damage him so badly. His 'best friend.'

"What do you plan to do with him?" Zexion asked.

"Well…until Xemnas wants to see him," He grimaced at the name. "Try to get him to remember. He's...he's my best friend. I need him..." He watched Roxas sleep in front of him with a sad look on his face. At least the boy looked peaceful now.

"I see." Zexion paused, examining the scene, before turning. "I'll go give our report, then." Walking away, he mumbled under his breath, "...and I guess see Demyx..."

Axel pulled himself up again and sat down next to Roxas on the couch, careful not to wake him. "I'll... wait here for him to wake up." He answered quietly, eyes still on the sleeping blond next to him. "See you…Zex."


	2. Chapter 2

The room was silent but for the soft breathing of the three Nobodies occupying it.

Axel sat on a chair, staring at the rumpled, battered, passed out form of the best friend he'd finally managed to bring back with him. He was worried – worried that maybe he'd gone too far, done too much, and pushed too hard. He hadn't wanted to hurt Roxas; he was just so angry that the kid had forgotten him.

Zexion stood leaning against one of the room's walls, his face expressionless. His silvery blue eyes skimmed across the pages of a book he'd picked up earlier – everything about his demeanor was cool and aloof, completely unconcerned. Unlike Axel, he knew that Roxas was just sleeping off his fatigue. He'd fought an opponent that was by no means a pushover, and he'd put all his effort into retaliating. Of course he was going to be tired afterwards.

Although…the pain was most likely another factor as to why Roxas was still sleeping twelve hours after they'd brought him back to the Castle That Never Was, but Zexion believed that exhaustion was still the more predominate reason as to why Roxas was still asleep. Axel, however, was the one who had beaten his so-called 'friend' to a bloody pulp, and even though Zexion was powerful in magic, even he couldn't heal every injury.

Zexion's eyes glanced up from the book and he watched Axel stare worriedly at the blond on the couch. His sharp yet emotionless eyes took in the battered form of the young Nobody, taking note of all the things his spell hadn't fixed.

Tiny cuts and violet black, splotchy bruises littered the boy's tiny frame. His clothing was stained a dark red from blood, and his shirt and pants were torn in multiple places. His once spiky hair was limp, sweat and blood weighing the individual spikes down so they lay flat and sticky on his pale-skinned face.

All in all, despite Zexion's thoughtful healing, the boy still looked a mess, and it was obvious that Axel was feeling guilty at what he'd done to Roxas.

Zexion sighed, deciding to ignore Axel's silent worrying. It wasn't like Roxas wouldn't live; he was just sleeping. His eyes dropped back down the book in his hands, and Zexion lost himself in the made-up world of Meal, an unlucky hero.

Axel's eyes never left Roxas' form. His fingers were wrapped around one another in a white-knuckled grip as he waited for his blond friend to wake up. If only the kid hadn't resisted! Then he wouldn't be lying on that couch, pale and in pain. If Roxas had just gone along and let Axel talk, then he wouldn't have had to hurt the kid so much.

But Roxas was just so stubborn! He just kept getting back up, swinging his Keyblade in an attempt to actually hurt Axel. It had been amusing at the time, but now that Axel thought back on it, he realized just how pathetic his friend had been – he was so different from how he used to be! Not only did he forget Axel, the only person who actually cared about him, but he refused to even consider the idea that he and Axel had been friends. He'd been there for the blond from the beginning, and the little brat had just forgotten him! Like he'd meant nothing to him!

It had angered Axel so much when Roxas had claimed that he didn't know who Axel was. The rage had spread through his body like liquid fire, boiling his blood and drowning out his common sense – the common sense that was practically screaming at him that the kid was weaker than he used to be, and that if he pushed too hard, he'd hurt him, maybe even kill him.

Of course, if Axel was honest with himself (and he was; Axel was a pretty straight forward guy, after all), then he'd admit that the hurt that had stabbed his nonexistent heart like a sharp blade, had affected him far more than the anger that was burning through his veins.

With each naive word out of Roxas' mouth, the blade had dug deeper and twisted painfully, leaving Axel almost breathless with agony.

But, of course, Axel was strong, he was a joker; nothing could get him down. So he plastered an unconcerned mask on his face, and put up a happy-go-lucky, joking façade, and hid his pain behind the cover, unwilling to show his weakness to anyone.

And the blade had only pushed deeper when Roxas – who had known him so well, and could spot Axel's lies a million miles away – hadn't even noticed.

So he'd let his anger take control, and he'd let his joker façade run the show, shoving all his hurt to a dusty, forgotten corner in the back of his mind.

If Zexion hadn't interrupted things when he did, and distracted Axel, odds are Axel would have continued attacking and hurting the kid until it was too late, the part of his mind that cared deeply for the small blond hidden behind all the anger, and cowering from all the hurt.

A soft groan startled Axel from his depressed thoughts, and, blinking rapidly, he focused on the blond lying on the couch. A blond who, after twelve hours, was finally showing signs of waking.

"Roxas? You awake yet?" Axel asked, his voice a low whisper as he poked him on the arm. Roxas's answer came in the form of a mumble and he turned over, pressing his face into the warm cushions of the couch.

"C'mon, buddy. Get up." Axel said, poking at the tiny blond again. Roxas grumbled sleepily, shifting his body into a more comfortable position before sighing once more.

Axel frowned worriedly and pulled back his hand. "Zexion? Shouldn't he be awake yet?"

"No." Zexion answered monotonously, his eyes still glued to his book. "He's tired and in pain. There's no way of accurately predicting when he'll awaken."

"But…but you healed him, right?" Axel asked softly, his emerald eyes never leaving Roxas' body.

Zexion sighed, shaking his head. "I healed his more serious injuries, yes. I cannot, however, heal exhaustion. You wore him out with your brutal treatment of him."

"It wasn't my fault!" Axel protested hotly, his eyes flashing dangerously as he finally looked away from the blond to glare at Zexion, flames sparking in the deep, green depths.

Zexion gazed at Axel unblinkingly, his expression giving away none of his thoughts. After a minute of steel blue eyes locked in a silent battle with emerald green ones, Zexion sighed, shaking his head. "If you truly believe that, then you are more of an idiot than I originally believed."

Axel didn't answer, still spitting fire at Zexion.

The Schemer sighed once more and shut his book, straightening from his leaning position against the wall. "I suppose I will borrow a potion from Vexen, then. I'll return shortly." And with that, Zexion opened a black portal with a wave of his hand, stepping through and disappearing from the room.

Axel glared at the empty space Zexion left behind for a few more seconds before dropping the look, and turning back to Roxas with a sigh, his shoulders drooping slightly. He watched Roxas for a little longer, waiting for some other sign of the kid waking up.

But Axel wasn't exactly known for his patience, so he quickly grew annoyed with the slumbering blond, and decided that if he wasn't going to wake up on his own, then Axel would wake Roxas up himself. He had to make sure the kid was alright anyway… right?

"Roxas. Hey, Roxas." He tried, poking the blond's cheek. Roxas grumbled sleepily, but slept on. Axel growled, grinding his teeth in a frustrated manner. "Roxas! WAKE UP!"

Roxas started awake with a startled yelp, shooting up so quickly and so forcefully that he fell off the couch and landed on the ground in a pile of tangled limbs.

"Wha? Whuss goin' on?" He asked sleepily, sitting up from his fallen position on the cold, stone floor and looking around him confusedly.

Axel smiled fondly at the sight of the sleep-rumpled blond blinking owlishly at his surroundings. His bright, crystalline eyes still glazed slightly from sleep. Axel's smile turned into a grin, and he left the seat to crouch down next to Roxas' fallen form. "Hey, Roxy! It's about damn time you woke up! How are ya feelin?"

Roxas blinked slowly, turning his clear blue eyes to Axel, the haze in them fading away as he stared at the redhead blankly.

Finally, recognition flickered to life in the blond's eyes, and they widened. "Wha? You…YOU!" Roxas jumped back impulsively, scrambling across the stone ground but stopped suddenly, grabbing at his shoulder and wincing.

Axel felt a pang of guilt and his stomach lurched uncomfortably, but he kept the grin on his face, and even threw in a little laugh to complete the act. "Careful, kid. Don't wanna hurt yourself, again, do ya?"

"You stay the fuck away from me!" Roxas screamed, sliding further from Axel despite the pain rippling through his thin frame. He could only scoot so far, however, the couch he was previously sitting on pushing against his back, stopping him.

The blade returned, punching another hole through Axel's nonexistent heart. The kid was absolutely terrified of him. Of him, Axel. Of his best freaking friend.

But, like any truly good actor, Axel knew how to stay in character, and doesn't let his cheerful façade drop. He did, however, let a little offence trickle its way into his tone. "What the hell, Roxas? Calm down, man! I'm not gonna hurt ya, kid!"

Before Roxas could respond, a black hole popped up in a corner of the room and Zexion stepped out, a small bottle of glowing blue liquid held carefully in one of his thin hands. He closed the portal behind him, and held the bottle of icy blue liquid up, swishing it around.

"I brought the po...tion…" Zexion's voice faded away as he finally looked up, taking in the terrified Roxas still attempting to put distance between himself and the spiky redhead. Zexion turned to Axel and raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Axel dropped his grin and glared over at Zexion, offended. "What makes you think I did something?"

Zexion ignored Axel, returning his attention to the cowering blond who was staring at Axel with wide-eyed terror. "Do you require a potion, Roxas?"

Axel scoffed, narrowing his eyes at Roxas, who flinched. "Not anymore, we don't. You took too long, Zexy."

"It appears so." Zexion mumbled, gazing down at the now-useless bottle of liquid in his hand. His eyes returned to Axel a second later, and he sighed softly. "Stop glaring at him, Axel. You're freaking the boy out."

"What?" Axel asked in an annoyed tone, "He yelled at me first! All I did was poke him; it's not like I tried to hurt him or anything."

Zexion stared at Axel unblinkingly, and Axel shifted nervously under the unnerving gaze.

"He passed out from pain, blood loss and fatigue, all of which was due to your incessant attacking." Zexion pointed out blandly, "I believe he has reason enough to be wary of your presence."

When Axel failed to reply, Zexion turned away from him, his unnervingly blank stare landing on the still frightened form of the blond. "Roxas, now that Axel has stopped glaring at you, will you answer my question? Do you require this potion?"

Roxas stared at Zexion, confusion mingling with the fear and anger swirling in his eyes. Adrenalin was pumping through his small body; his limbs were shaking uncontrollably and his heart racing. He couldn't register exactly what the blue haired man was asking him, far too distracted by the taller ginger hovering over him.

He could tell Zexion was waiting for a response from him, so with a shaky voice he said the only thing he muster."…where?"

"You're in the Castle That Never Was." Axel explained, before turning to glare indignantly at Zexion, "And I was just trying to help the kid! If I didn't, then Xemnas would have had him turned into a Dusk."

"Of course, Axel." Zexion said, his tone sounding slightly sarcastic. Turning his attention back to the blond, he continued. "We brought you here after the idiot knocked you out. I healed your more severe injuries. Now, do you require the potion, or did I get it for no reason?"

Roxas stared at Zexion, the stoic man's words not making sense to him. After all, why would the man that was an accomplice in Roxas' kidnapping bring a potion for him? It made no sense. "…what?"

"I wasn't the one who started it, Zexy! " Axel complained, grinning when he caught sight of the slight twitch of Zexion's eye at his whiney tone of voice. "And technically YOU'RE the one who knocked him out with your fancy little spell." Axel turned his attention back to Roxas, and let his grin soften, hoping to calm the kid down. "Come on, Roxy, just drink the potion so Zexy'll be happy, 'kay?"

"I am not…upset." Zexion objected, the potion bottle still grasped in his thin fingers. "Roxas, do you, or do you not need the potion?"

Axel laughed, the sound loud and obnoxious in the small room, "Aw, Zexy, I never said you were 'upset.' Emo, maybe…but not upset."

"You implied it with your assumption that by accepting the potion, Roxas will have made me happy." Zexion pointed out, his eyebrow raised.

Axel waved away the shorter man's logic, shaking his head. "Just because you're not happy doesn't mean you're upset, Zexy." He knew he probably shouldn't argue with Zexion, not with Roxas right here, but it was just too entertaining trying to get a reaction from him.

"You…are you people crazy?" Roxas cut in, interrupting the rather pointless argument between the other two Nobodies, and finally speaking a full sentence. "I'm not drinking anything you people give me! You tried to kill me!"

"I suppose that's a 'no,' then." Zexion muttered, sighing as he portalled out of the room.

Axel turned back to Roxas, one of his own fiery eyebrows raised. "I never tried to kill you, Roxy." Which was a lie, but the kid didn't have to know about that. "Besides, you attacked me first."

Roxas glared at Axel, his fear being pushed aside to make room for the anger that was setting in. Scooting a little further away from the insane redhead, Roxas tried to stand up, only to fall back down when his legs refused to function. "Damn it!" He tried to stand again, his body shaking from pain and effort, but fell back down, smacking his knees painfully on the stone ground.

Axel watched guiltily as Roxas attempted to stand up several more times without success, his legs giving out every single time. Finally he had enough and he stood, walking over to the shaking blond. "Here, Roxy, let me help you."

Ignoring Roxas' feeble attempts to push him away, Axel grabbed him under the arms, and carefully lifted him to a standing position, helping him back to the couch.

"You okay?" He asked Roxas, glancing him over for signs of wounds Zexion might have missed in his earlier healing.

A black portal opened up in the room, and Zexion stepped out, his hand free of potion bottles. When he caught sight of the blond sitting on the couch, his pale face scrunched up tightly and his body quaking from tremors of pain, he sighed. "I assume that this means the potion is, indeed, needed then?"

Roxas didn't appear to hear Zexion's question, his mouth mumbling a silent mantra of 'ouch, ouch, ow, ouch.'

But he didn't need to, since Axel chose to answer instead, a grin masking the concern he thought he hid so well. But Zexion was a Schemer, and he was a damn good one – his eyes missed almost nothing, and that included the many different 'emotions' Axel hid behind a mask of idiocy. But, like every other time he saw the mask fall over Axel's tattooed face, he chose not to say anything, instead letting the Nobody believe his act was flawless.

"Yeah, he needs the potion." Axed announced, his grin obnoxiously wide, "Ha! Sucks for you! This is, what, trip number three to Vexen?"

Zexion stared at Axel blandly, "Axel, would you like to spend the next ten minutes in a book under the impression that you were drowning?"

"Do it, and I'll burn your precious little books, Zexy." Axel threatened, glaring darkly at him.

Zexion's eyebrows furrowed slightly, the only sign of his anger, "Do that, and you'll spend five years in my Lexicon, drowning to death."

"I'll just burn that book, too." Axel said, unconcerned.

Zexion shook his head, his steely eyes gazing dispassionately at Axel. Most people would be put off by the utter emptiness in the other Nobodies eyes as he stared at him, but Axel was simply entertained by it, his grin widening. Though he couldn't help but admit to himself that Zexion's glares were a bit freaky…

Axel got that they didn't have hearts, so that meant that they couldn't feel, but Zexion took the whole emotionless thing a little too far, in his opinion. At least all the other members pretended to feel; Zexion was the only one who didn't.

"You cannot burn the Book of Retribution." Zexion informed him, snapping Axel out of his contemplative silence.

"Well, I'll still try." Axel said, grinning, and summoned a small ball of fire to his hand, holding it out in a threatening manner. "Wanna see?"

Zexion raised an eyebrow, his eyes still so freaking unnervingly empty. "You are welcome to try." And with that, he summoned his Lexicon, holding it out in front of him like a shield.

Axel's emerald eyes flashed, and he increased the size and intensity of the fireball floating lazily in his outstretched hand. "Don't test me, emo boy."

"You appear to have an odd desire to spend the next five years inside my book. Maybe you're not as afraid of the water as I've been lead to believe?" Zexion replied, still holding his big-ass book in front of him, and still staring at Axel with blank eyes.

"Well whoever told you that doesnt know what they're talking about." Axel growled angrily and let the fireball go, shooting it at the Lexicon. It slammed into the large book with a loud bang and a blinding flash, setting it on fire. "Whatcha gonna do now, emo shrimp?"

Zexion watched his book burn for a few seconds, the red, orange and yellow flames reflecting in his eyes. Then Zexion blinked and the book opened up, the flames being sucked into the massive pages.

When the flames were completely gone, the book slammed shut, looking none the worse for wear. Axel grumbled in annoyance, but plastered a smirk onto his face when Zexion looked back over at him.

"If you thought that would work, you're far less intelligent than I thought. And no one told me. I can smell your fear when you're around large bodies of water that are deeper than you are tall." Zexion murmured.

Axel just laughed, "Who says I was actually trying to hurt it? And a puddle is deeper than you are tall, little Zexy-kins"

Meanwhile, as the two Organization members argued, Roxas was planning to escape. These people had tried to kill him, and now they were trying to kill each other; Axel was actually throwing fireballs at Zexion! These people were crazy, and Roxas had no desire to hang around when the guy with the book decided to start fighting back.

So, while Axel and Zexion were distracted with one another, Roxas slowly pushed himself up off the couch, wincing as his body screamed in protest. Taking a quick moment to observe the room they were in, he shoved the pain to the back of his mind, and focused on just moving. There was a door not too far away from him; it would be a relatively short trip to the door, one that Roxas was sure he could make.

And after that…well, he'd work on that part of the plan when he got out the door.

Shuffling quietly, his eyes glancing back and forth between Axel and Zexion and the door, Roxas slowly made his way towards the exit – the door to his freedom from the crazy freaks.

He was almost to the door when he heard Axel's laugh. He turned around, his eyes searching out the reason for Axel's loud cackle – and his eyes met steel-blue. Roxas was sure his heart stopped when he made eye contact with Zexion; his breathing sure did.

The short Nobody stared at Roxas indifferently as Roxas stared back, his own face a twisted hybrid of fear, confusion, and oddly enough, curiosity.

Then Zexion spoke, "Axel, perhaps you should stop insulting my intelligence and catch your 'friend' before he gets himself caught by one of the others." And Roxas spun, sprinting from the room, the spike of adrenalin and fear helping to block the pain that wracked his body.

"Yeah well you… wait, what?" Axel stated , staring at Zexion uncomprehendingly before he swore violently, and charged after the escaping blond, yelling at him to stop running and come back.

Zexion stood in the empty room for a moment, listening to the two Nobodies run down the corridor, their footsteps echoing loudly.

Then, he sighed. "Perhaps I'll retrieve that potion now." And with that, Zexion opened a portal and stepped through.


	3. Chapter 3

Roxas panted heavily as he ran down the empty, cold corridors. He had no idea where the hell he was going, but he could hear Axel's boots clomping loudly behind him, pushing him to keep moving at all costs.

But he forgot how tired he was, and how much pain he was in, and his energy quickly drained away, the adrenaline pumping through his body not enough to keep him going. The stress on his body was just too much.

Roxas' legs nearly gave out as he skidded around a corner, but he was saved from dropping to the ground when a black portal opened directly in front of him, and he slammed into the slim form of Zexion, sending the both of them careening to the floor.

Zexion grunted when he hit the ground, smacking the back of his head against the stone, and Roxas landed on top of him.

The two Nobodies laid there for a few moments, before Zexion opened his eyes and stared up at Roxas, who was looking down at the man below him.

He had a few moments of thinking trying to comprehend what had just happened, his head spinning slightly from the impact. He looked down at the Nobody underneath him for a few seconds, before he realized where exactly he was, and who he was lying on top of. With a squeak of fear, Roxas literally flew off of the robed man, and slammed himself up against the wall furthest away.

Zexion stood up slowly, ignoring the throbbing of his skull, and brushed the dirt off his coat. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to appear in front of a panicked boy who was in the middle of an escape attempt. But the moment was already over, and there was no point in thinking about it, so Zexion shooed the thought from his mind and turned to glare at Axel.

The redheaded man had caught up with the two of them, and was laughing annoyingly loud at the scene, his face turning slightly red.

"Thanks for stopping him for me, short stuff!" He said, trying to control his snickering.

Zexion honestly had no idea what the idiot found so funny, so he decided to ignore the spiky-haired Nobody as he glanced around him, searching for the potion bottle that had been knocked out of his grasp. He found it lying just a few feet away, and he walked over and picked it up, examining the glass for any cracks. When he didn't find any, he sighed and turned towards a cowering Roxas against the wall.

"I have returned with the potion." He told the blond, holding the bottle out for the shorter boy. Roxas didn't appear to hear him, and just continued to stare at Zexion with wide, fear-filled eyes, so Zexion stepped closer to the blond, and repeated what he'd said. "I have returned with the potion."

Roxas blinked at Zexion, who looked like he really didn't care that Roxas had just tackled him to the ground. Then, his eyes trailed down to the glass bottle he held – the same bottle that he had earlier.

Then, Zexion's words actually registered, and he couldn't help but gape. What the hell was wrong with this guy? Roxas had just tried to escape, and the only reason he couldn't was because he was too tired, and in too much pain from his attack on him earlier. Yet, here this man was, trying to give him a potion, of all things. It was the weirdest thing, especially since the guy had nearly killed him with his surprisingly powerful fire spell. It had hurt like hell, and Roxas hadn't stood a chance.

The corridor was oddly silent, and Roxas turned his head to look at Axel, who had finally silenced his laughter. "Ah, that was great. Zexy, you sure know how to make a guy feel better, don't you?"

Roxas' eyes shot back to Zexion, who was just staring at Axel blankly, though this time his eyebrows were furrowed in what looked like confusion.

"I…don't think I will ever understand you, VIII." He said, his brow smoothing out as his eyes flicked back over to Roxas. "Will you drink the potion now?"

Roxas wasn't sure what to say – other than 'get the hell away from me, you emotionless freak!' – but he didn't want to piss the guy off, even if that was starting to seem like an impossible task. But then he remembered that these guys are crazy, and he pushed the thought away.

"What the hell do you guys want from me?" He demanded, glancing back and forth between the two men. He watched as Axel sent an odd look to Zexion, still snickering slightly, and as Zexion (who just ignored Axel) watched Roxas watch him and Axel.

Then, the stoic man shoved the bottle of liquid closer to Roxas. "Drink it." He ordered quietly, holding the bottle just inside Roxas' reach.

Roxas looked down at the bottle, staring at the swishing contents warily. "…what is it?"

"It's a potion," Zexion explained, his expression still not changing. That guy's lack of emotions was really starting to freak Roxas out. Did he ever change his expression, except for tiny little movements that required almost no muscle movement? "It will help with the pain."

Roxas stared down at the bottle sitting innocently in front of him, the eerily glowing blue liquid swirling around inside the glass.

"Just drink the potion, Roxas." Axel urged, the serious tone in his usually cheerful attracting Roxas' attention, "It'll make you feel better."

Roxas still just stared at the potion, not quite ready to drink something that the guys who had knocked him out were trying to give him. Besides, it could be…

"It isn't poisoned, if that's what you think." Zexion assured him, reading Roxas' thoughts perfectly. And if that wasn't just as freaky as the guy's emotionless persona, Roxas would eat his Keyblade.

"Why the hell should I trust you?" Roxas demanded. "Either of you?" He added when he saw Axel's smug expression.

Axel's eyes flashed, an emotion Roxas couldn't identify disappearing behind a mock-hurt expression before Roxas could try and decipher it. "Because, Roxy…we're just trying to help you."

"Take it." Zexion demanded calmly, pushing the bottle closer, "Or I will force it down your throat." Roxas almost laughed nervously, thinking the steely-eyed man was just kidding, but then he looked at the completely serious (blank) face, and remembered that this guy obviously did not kid.

"He really will do it." Axel affirmed, nodding in agreement to his own statement, "He's way more of a sadistic bastard than I am."

When Roxas still didn't take the potion, Zexion cocked his head to the side, his bangs falling away to reveal a second, steel-blue eye. "Do you think I won't do it, XIII?"

Roxas swallowed, but took the potion from Zexion's hand, his fingers brushing against the man's cool skin. He was startled by the sudden harshness he showed him; before now he seemed to be a bit more… not really nice, but more gentle about things towards him. Zexion was starting to seem like the safer one to be around. But his sudden threat made Roxas realize he was indeed just as dangerous as Axel.

"Drink it all, Roxy!" Axel instructed at the same time Zexion said, "It will help you more if you drink it all."

Roxas stared blankly at the two men, who were now glaring at one another (well, Zexion's eyes were narrowed slightly…), then back down at the potion, before returning his gaze to the two cloaked men.

"W…why do you want to help me?" Roxas asked, interrupting before the two went at each other's throats again, "I don't understand."

Axel broke his staring contest with Zexion (that he gonna lose, since he swore the jerk only needed to blink once every few hours), and turned to Roxas, grinning in a completely honest, friendly manner. "'Cause I'm your friend!"

"I have no reason to do otherwise." Zexion stated calmly.

When Roxas still didn't drink the potion, Axel's smile softened, and when Roxas looked at his emerald eyes, he saw warmth in their depths. "No one's gonna hurt ya, Roxy."

Roxas stared at Axel for a few moments, before looking back down at the potion miserably. He really did not want to comply and drink this strange substance they gave him, but he really didn't have a choice. Pulling the cork out of the potion bottle, he placed the lid against his lips hesitantly, and gulped down the – surprisingly – tasteless liquid. It was thick, and felt weird, but it didn't taste bad, and Roxas was already beginning to feel better as the liquid went down his throat, a tingling sensation being left behind.

"Good job, Roxy!" Axel exclaimed, grinning cheerfully.

Zexion stared at Axel with an odd look in his usually dead eyes, but then he blinked, and the look vanished. "He's not a dog, Axel." He finally said, his tone bland.

Axel glared and stepped over to Roxas indignantly, patting him on the head to spite Zexion. Roxas jumped at the sudden contact, spilling some of the potion on the floor.

"Now look what you've done, Axel." Zexion quickly retorted, his steely eye gazing indifferently at the blue liquid on the ground.

Axel, who had snached his hand away as soon as the boy reacted so startled, scratched his head, staring at the same spot as Zexion. "It's your fault, Zexion."

Both of Zexion's eyebrows raised. "I fail to see how this was my fault." He spoke almost accusingly.

"You annoyed me." Axel said matter-of-factly, shrugging his shoulders.

"You appear to be more of an idiot than usual today." Zexion said as he snapped his fingers nonchalantly.

Axel laughed, scratching at his spiky head unconcernedly, not insulted in the least, "I'm just messin' with ya, Zexy."

Roxas watched the two taller men bicker warily, not wanting a fight to break out with him in the vicinity. Then, a black monkey/mouse looking thing popped up out of nowhere and Roxas found himself too absorbed in the 'what the fuck' feeling to care about what the other two did.

It was small, black, had antennae, and large, yellow eyes; eyes that were staring up at Zexion, waiting.

"Clean up this mess." Zexion ordered, pointing to the blue liquid on the ground. The black thing disappeared, then reappeared a second later with a little towel in its tiny hands. Then, it stepped forward and actually started dabbing at the mess with the towel.

Roxas stared at the black creature with wide eyes until Axel's question of, 'Feelin' better now, Roxy?' startled him into finally looking away from the thing.

"What the hell is that?" He demanded, pointing accusingly at the black thing was finishing up its cleaning duties.

"It is a Heartless." Zexion told Roxas, dismissing the black creature with a wave of his pale hand.

"Yep." Axel agreed, nodding his red-topped head enthusiastically, "You kill 'em and collect their hearts. That's how it works."

Roxas continued to stare at the spot the creature, the Heartless, had just cleaned, a frown pulling at his lips. "A…Heartless?"

"It is a creature that is left behind when a human loses their heart." Zexion explained patiently, crossing his thin arms over his chest. "A Heartless is born when a human's heart is overcome with darkness. They are shadow creatures, born from pure darkness."

Axel nodded, "Yeah. What he said."

"And…you can control those things?" Roxas asked, thinking back to the black thing and its big, glowing, yellow eyes.

"To a certain degree." Zexion said, closing his eyes.

Axel stepped closer to Roxas and grinned. "Yeah. We can each control different kinds of Heartless. Like, I can control the Assassin Heartless."

"Oh…"

Roxas didn't quite get it, but he figured that Zexion had probably dumbed the explanation down quite a bit already, and that it wasn't possible for it to get any simple. So, he just nodded and tore his gaze away from the now clean spot.

"Shall we head back to the room?" Zexion asked a few minutes later, opening his eyes and looking around the corridor, "It would be…troublesome to be found by one of the others."

"Yeah, good idea." Axel said, nodding in approval. Zexion ignored him and opened a dark portal. "Come on, Roxy. We can answer any questions you have back at the room."

"Step through it." Zexion instructed, gesturing to the black hole in the middle of the air, "Axel. Help him."

Axel grinned and grabbed Roxas' arm, pulling him into the inky blackness of the portal.

Roxas was surrounded by darkness on all sides; he couldn't see a thing. Wherever they were, the feeling was suffocating, and it was giving Roxas a nasty headache.

Before it got any worse, a hole of light opened in front of him and Axel, nearly blinding Roxas despite the short amount of time he'd been in the darkness.

Axel pulled him through the hole of light, and he stepped out into the room he'd woken up in.

Zexion stepped out behind them, and closed the portal with a wave of his hand. He then turned his steely eyes to Roxas and examined him, making Roxas squirm under the man's gaze.

"Are you in pain?" Zexion finally asked, blinking his eyes up to Roxas'.

Roxas frowned and glanced down at himself, just now noticing how torn and bloodied his clothes were. "Jeez! What did you guys do to me?"

Axel shifted uncomfortably, an expression incredibly similar to guilt coming over his features. "Well…you see…what happened…you didn't…uhm." looking away, he scratched the back of his head. Yeah."

"I believe I healed you and retrieved a potion to help you with your pain." Zexion informed Roxas, staring at him with something Roxas could only assume was disapproval, "Are you complaining?"

Roxas swallowed, choosing not to answer Zexion's question, and instead ask one of his own. "But…why bother healing me? What is it that you people want?"

"You to return to the Organization." Zexion stated without even a second of hesitation.

Axel nodded in agreement, grinning widely at Roxas. "Yeah! We need you, Roxas! You're one of us."

"So you've said…" Roxas said, glaring distrustfully at Axel and Zexion.

Axel laughed, holding his hands up in a placating manner, "Come on, Roxas! Don't you believe me?"

"If I say no, will you try to kill me again?" Roxas asked, nervously gripping his torn and bloodied shirt.

Axel adopted a torn expression, dramatically slapping his hand over the spot his heart would be – if he had one, that is. "Ouch, Roxy! Again? I have no idea what you're talking about."

When Axel failed to answer the question, Zexion sighed and moved passed the other Nobodies to stand near the couch. "He will not." He assured the blond, plopping down on the arm rest, "Though we will not let you go."

Roxas sighed, his shoulders drooping. "I don't know what to think…"

"Well," Axel said, skipping over to sit on the couch, and gesturing at the spot next to him, "you ask, we'll answer. Come on over, Roxy."

Roxas hesitated, but decided to comply for now and walked over, but didn't sit next to the redhead. Instead, he pulled the chair the man had been sitting in earlier further back from the couch, and sat down in that. "Okay… Why won't you let me go, then? What if I don't want to be a part of your Organization?"

"You are already a member of the Organization." Zexion informed him, "You are Number XIII."

"It's a, 'once you're in, you're in for life' kind of thing." Axel added, leaning back into the cushions of the couch, and stretching his legs out. His relaxed attitude was starting to get under Roxas' skin.

Roxas looked down miserably, his fingers playing the hem of his ruined shirt. "I don't remember being one of you…"

"You will – eventually." Zexion assured him, and Roxas really had no reason not to believe the guy. He hadn't lied to him, yet. In fact, they'd both been pretty straight forward about information.

"Yeah." Axel cut in, nodding at Roxas with an annoyed expression, "That's what I was trying to tell you earlier, but you spazzed, for like, no reason."

"Perhaps it was the manner in which you delivered this information that caused Roxas to…'spazz,' as you say?" Zexion suggested dryly.

"Hey!" Axel protested, pointing a finger at Zexion, "All I did was try to talk to him! Not my fault he attacked me."

Roxas glared at Axel, but gave up trying to argue with the thick-headed jerk. There was no point to it, and the guy would never admit to being wrong, so why bother?

"There was no reason for you to retaliate, or get so angry in the first place. You must learn to control your temper, Axel, before you really do end up killing him." Zexion said in a lightly scolding tone.

Axel shook his head furiously, pointing an accusing finger as Roxas, "He's the one spazzing for no reason! All I wanted to do was talk, but no, he had to try to kill me!"

"…what?" Roxas asked, not believing how ridiculous Axel was being. He couldn't quite tell if Axel was just picking on him, or if he was actually serious. Of course Roxas would freak when some random guy starts talking about all this weird stuff that he doesn't understand.

"You let your anger take control of the situation." Zexion pointed out quietly, his tone still lightly scolding, "You're the older Nobody, you should have more control than that."

"You!" Axel yelled, suddenly turning his fiery emerald gaze to Roxas, making him jump, "Roxas! You attacked me. Of course I had to retaliate!"

Roxas was confused, wondering why Axel was making such a big deal out the situation. Zexion just calmly sat on the arm rest, inspecting his nails as if he wasn't giving a talking-down to Axel.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Axel shouted, glaring at the dumbfounded, confused expression on Roxas' face.

Roxas' eyes widened, and he held his hands up, trying to calm the redhead. "Okay, okay! Fine, whatever."

"So you admit it." Axel said, his anger dissipating immediately, "You attacked me for no reason, whatsoever, and I was right in retaliating? Okay."

Zexion sighed, standing up and shaking his head. "I promised Demyx that I would see him when I returned, so I'm going to go do that now. You two…settle your differences." And with that, he opened yet another portal, stepped through, and was gone in a matter of seconds.

Roxas, realizing too late that the level-headed one was leaving, reached out pointlessly, "Wait! Don't leave me here with him!" But Zexion was already gone, and it was just Roxas and a seemingly bi-polar redhead with the ability to control fire.

Great.

Roxas glanced over at Axel hesitantly, jerking back in surprise when he caught the man smiling creepily at him.

"So," Axel said after a minute of just staring at Roxas, "what do you wanna know? Any questions?"

Roxas was about to answer when a sudden wave of dizziness assaulted him. One hand grabbed the chair to keep from falling out of it, while the other latched onto his head, confused. "Uhn…wha?"

"Oh. Guess the potion's finally kicked in, huh?" Axel asked, scratching his head.

Roxas stared back up at Axel, shocked, before another wave of dizziness forced him to squint his eyes shut so he wouldn't have to watch the room spin. "Wha…what was 'n tha'?" His words slurred together, and he found it hard to concentrate on what he was saying.

"Eh…I don't know. You'd have to ask emo boy." Axel told him, watching Roxas curiously.

Roxas didn't reply, couldn't reply. His head was spinning so fast he was finding it difficult to remain sitting up straight. With a gasp, his body fell over sideways, but before he could hit the ground, arms wrapped around him, and picked him up, dropping Roxas on something soft – the couch.

He would have freaked out about being manhandledf Axel, but he was simply too dizzy, and instead just allowed himself to sink into the cushions of the couch, clutching his head. "You…you sai' it woul' jus' relieve th' pain…"

"I never said anything about the potion, other than telling you to drink it." Axel reminded him.

Roxas groaned, trying to will away the dizziness with no success. "Uhhhhn…I din't need it…"

Axel sighed, shrugging his bony shoulders in a helpless way. "Guess you'll just have to sleep it off. We can talk later. Not like you're gonna be going anywhere, anyway."

"Why…cn't…you jus' le' me go?" Roxas asked dazedly, feeling himself fade from consciousness.

"Because…I need you, Roxy…" Axel said sadly.

Roxas only managed to get a 'wha…' out before the darkness of sleep overtook him, and he was dead to the world once again.

Axel stared down at his friend's slumbering form, a sad smile curling his lips. He reached down and patted the blond softly on the head, before he stepped back, and plopped down into his chair, ready to wait for as long as needed to for the boy to wake back up. To have his best friend back.


End file.
